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The Magpie’s Eye: Notts County - A Season of Promise and Progress


My last blog currently has 1,225 views, 3 comments, and 4 interactions. Since then, I believe the club has evolved significantly, and the summer signings have certainly made Notts much more solid.

Having a strong defence should lead to more creativity upfront and the ability to handle the opposition, as Notts did against Tranmere Rovers and Grimsby Town early on. This makes me believe that, with time, our back line could improve significantly. While results will ultimately tell, the signs are promising.

Notts have never looked more creative than they do with Jodi Jones in the team. He has been improving game by game, and his goal against Grimsby Town should benefit the players around him.

I have seen comments from negative fans suggesting that Notts only performed well because they were on television. I don’t believe the players would act like that. We have been showing signs of improvement, even though it is only three games into the season. I don’t think Jones is playing to attract interest; he is playing for his own pride and the kit he wears.

While I agree with the sentiments expressed here, I think Macaulay Langstaff has been such a huge part of the last two seasons that fans will naturally post and mention him. Although, it seems a little strange to talk about him instead of Notts.

I admit he is still a talking point. I personally look out to see if he plays or has scored his first goal. Hopefully, the fans who still feel bitter about him leaving have gotten over it. However, some of our fans will continue to discuss him because of how relevant he has been. It's easy to say that he's not relevant now, but he's been the closest goalscorer we have had in years to beating the club's all-time record, which is held by Les Bradd with 125 goals.

Macca has 70 goals, Mark Stallard is ahead with just six more goals, and Lee Hughes sits on 67, according to transfermarkt.co.uk.

This is in two seasons, compared to around 11, 5, and 4 seasons respectively. So, naturally, he will be a talking point, but fans should also focus on Notts.

Notts has truly gone international, but let’s not forget about our overseas supporters who watch the games live in various locations across the globe!

If we were impressed watching the Grimsby game unfold, imagine how our exiles and overseas fans felt about the game!

While it might not be the same, Sky Sports certainly has an impact from the fans’ perspective with them changing game dates and kick-off times. There’s one bonus: when Notts performs so well, not only do we get excited by the prospects, but our international friends can show their support by watching the games.

Being broadcast in America via CBS might encourage more people in the States to adopt Notts as their club, especially with all the hype surrounding “Welcome to Wrexham”.

Plus, the money Sky pays EFL clubs must have some impact on how clubs can operate.

Did I just see a glimpse of the Pride of Nottingham gaffer, Chris, near the end of the video? It’s great to see him back to his best! 

The atmosphere was very good against Grimsby; it felt electric and is something we, as fans, can build on. I was impressed by my visit to Tranmere Rovers. We made an incredible amount of noise, silencing their fans. Yet at Fleetwood, I could feel the tension.

This was before Fleetwood had scored, so I can imagine it was tense for the players too.

Seeing the KOP, Family, and Pavis Stands react to the goals scored by Notts made it even better. The sense of excitement and seeing the players fully in control against a team that can’t be dismissed as one of our rivals was fantastic.

Can we move beyond the doubt and finally get behind Stuart Maynard?

I get that some fans are unsure, and others are just negative for the sake of it. Yet, if we can, as a majority, finally get behind Stuart Maynard, we might start to see continued improvements.

I wouldn’t be able to guess how much of our fan base is on board with Maynard. It seems much more than last season, but on social media, I still see fans easily criticising him despite more positive impressions, such as the opening day’s defending against Tranmere Rovers.

All managers are learning, thinking, and doing their best. He took over from someone most fans regard as the best manager for a decade in Luke Williams, but we need to rally behind him. The board showed courage when fans were more vocal due to the string of poor performances and defeats, but in truth, this was never fully on his shoulders.

Let’s get behind him. I want to see the KOP and away fans chant Stuart Maynard’s name. Can we see what effect this has? Embrace him and hope he can take us up to League One, as we don’t have anything to lose.

Despite my thoughts on those who dislike Stuart Maynard and seem dead against him, let’s not separate our fan base by labelling areas.

There will always be an element of fans who are quick to boo. Some will have the club’s intentions at heart, and others are simply short-term focused. The main thing is the bigger picture, so I think for the long term, and that’s the way I believe the majority of fans should strive, especially if they want the club to have a future.

Singling out fans is a bit petty and needless. It doesn’t reflect well on the performance the club puts together. If anything, it creates a division among the fans.

I agree with the principles that Notts are showing signs of improvement after the time we had with Luke Williams, but even Williams showed signs of improvement over Ian Burchnall and Neal Ardley.

The positivity towards Maynard is great, especially pointing out how fantastic the football on the pitch was.

It makes the pitch feel even more like a place to showcase Notts at their very best, and every player looked capable of helping the club to promotion. But let’s stick with being behind each other.

As the chant goes, “All Notts Aren’t We!”

Follow me on x.com (Twitter) at @20JOSHUA04, please subscribe to my blog here if you liked it and ensure you opt to receive alerts on any upcoming posts.

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10 Comments


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liampie

Posted

in the clip of the fans, that is @Chris at the bottom right side. :D

i like reading your thoughts on what fans and is posted on social media, i agree with what you say. its good to see more fans warming to stuart maynard. at times it has seemed personal, ever since the bbc did the piece about him giving up his bt technician job. some of those comments seemed unfair and it did take me away last season from wanting to discuss notts. i think the signs are there, we just need to have faith.

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NiftyNick

Posted

It's inspiring to see the team showing signs of improvement. Jodi Jones has really been a game-changer for us! Good blog!

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The Heff

Posted

I think it's essential for fans to get behind Stuart Maynard, especially considering the progress we've seen so far. Changing managers often disrupts the team's chemistry, and we're beginning to see better football under his guidance. The defending against Tranmere Rovers was particularly impressive, and Maynard's tactics seem to be more effective each game. It's not just about immediate results but building a sustainable future for Notts. If fans rally behind him, it could create a more positive atmosphere that benefits everyone involved.

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Robbie

Posted

Nice blog @Joshua Well put together. Wow, we do have talented writers on PON.

I'm just pleased for Stuart. It was rough for him taking over from a legend like Williams. 

However Stuart has come through all that, and the signs are very good with the team he's building.

There will always be people who will be negative, but I believe there are big positive things going to happen in the next few months with Stuart's team.

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KingMaynard

Posted

The defence is looking solid this season. Well done to the recruitment for the smart summer signings.

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Chris

Posted

@liampie + @Joshua, yes, I am caught near the end very briefly. This would have been filmed after we scored, as I am taking pictures. :D

I like your take on the social media posts. It's like a reaction video on YouTube but not personal. Just you're responding and adding your own take on things. It's very well-written. The moment I noticed it, I gave your post a share. I still want to say "tweet and retweet", so badly. :( 

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Fan of Big Tone

Posted

I love this blog @Joshua a great summary of where we are as a club and fan base as things stand, of course there’s a long season ahead and there will be ups and downs, let’s hope there’s more ups.

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TheSkipper

Posted

Your point about us being committed to supporting Stuart Maynard I agree, we should chant his name a lot more. I think more fans are coming round, and I would agree that some use Maynard's former job as an invalid way to discredit him. That's football fans for you!

It's not like most of these types would be able to do a better job themselves.

I enjoyed reading your thoughts and blog, @Joshua. :thumbsup:

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Blake

Posted

This is a really fun blog. I like how you share your thoughts on tweets. I wish fans were more understanding. Some people always find something to complain about, but pointing out their problems doesn't help, at least not in my opinion.

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Pride of Nottingham is an independent fansite devoted to Notts County, the world’s oldest professional football club. Created in 2013, it has served as a source of Magpie news, features, match previews, reports, analysis and interviews for more than three years.

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